Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Fee
Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started playing music from a young age, about 7 years old. From that time until now, I’ve been a percussionist, guitarist, and electric bass player. I had the great fortune of playing a wide variety of styles of music from rock/pop to blues, bluegrass, and eventually classical and world music – starting in New York and traveling around the country.
Performing at music festivals from an early age had a deep impact on me. As I got older, I gravitated toward work that combined music with dance, theater, film, etc. I had the opportunity to perform Harry Partch’s theater works in the ensemble, Newband, from 2007 -2014, which was an incredible experience. Partch’s microtonal work and theories have had a profound effect on me and I have used some of his tuning practices in my original compositions.
Since 2016, I’ve been composing music for dance and I am currently creating a short film that is a visualization of one of these pieces.
As I go forward, I plan to direct a narrative film. It has been a goal of mine for some time now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have definitely been struggles, as there are with anything. Because I wanted to try a lot of different things, I had to deal with learning curves every now and then. For instance, moving from rock music into playing classical and contemporary music was a challenge, as was writing for dance in the beginning.
Now, I am working on translating my ideas into film and that, of course, has its own challenges to face. But the idea is to keep moving and doing new things. The challenges are not so pleasant while you are in them, but in the end, it’s worth it because you grow and come away with experiences that you couldn’t have gotten otherwise. I recently read a quote by Orson Welles which is very inspiring, where he said something to the effect that the artist’s duty is to seek out situations that are uncomfortable. I’m not sure if this was an offhand thing that he said, but the basic premise has a lot of truth in it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
This summer, I will begin work on a short film that is a visualization of a piece of music I wrote last year. The film grew out of my interest in cave art and using the location of the cave as a transcendent place, a place where people can access another reality so to speak – whether that means dipping into the subconscious or going into a spiritual place. So this film will be a poetic experience or meditation about going into this kind of space and coming out, accompanied by music and also exploring some of the cave art images that I’ve been inspired by. It should be finished by summer 2025.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I had a chance to see the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theater in NYC in 1997 and was given backstage passes. So I was able to see the show from the side of the stage and had a chance to meet some of the musicians.
That memory always sticks out because it was the first time that I heard long form improvisations. I remember coming home and being so excited because it had never occurred to me that you could do that. This opened up a whole new world of music and around that time I began checking out jazz and other kinds of styles. So that concert had a huge effect on me. Anyone that saw the Allman Brothers at their annual Beacon Theater shows will know what I mean. Of course, I would go back and see them as much as I could after that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joe-fee.com
- Instagram: @joefeemusic
- Youtube: @joefee1085
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/joe-fee-music
Image Credits
Images from untitled short film
Directed by Joe Fee
Cinematography by Joe Fee
Drone Photography by Benjamin Steeper